Fees Overview

Checks payable to:

National Speech & Debate Association

401 Railroad Place

West Des Moines, IA 50265

Overpayment:

On the front page of your registration, you will select whether you would like overpayments to be reimbursed in the form of a check (to be returned after the tournament in the form of a check mailed to your school in July) or issued as school credit toward renewal. All credits must be used by December 31 of the year in which they are issued.

Overview of fees: 

1. Judge bond: Each school must post a judge bond of $200. This bond is in addition to entry fees and judge fees. If all judges from a school complete all judging assignments, the $200 will be returned after the tournament in the form of a check MAILED to the school in July or issued as a school credit IF CLAIMED BY JULY 31, 2018. No judge bonds will be returned in cash and no checks will be returned at the tournament. At the tournament and until July 31, 2018, you will be given an opportunity to claim your judge bond. If you do not claim your bond, it will be applied as school credit for renewal. All credits must be used by December 31 of the year in which they are issued. 

Failure to report for a judging assignment or pooling assignment will forfeit your judge bond of $200 for the first round missed, and a $100 per judge per round penalty will be assessed thereafter. A school will not be permitted to compete the following year unless all outstanding fees have been paid. Schools who do not fulfill the requirement of providing at least one judge per event they are entered may forfeit entry, but if they do not, they will forfeit their judge bond in addition to paying the hired judge fee.

2. Entry Fees: Each debate event is $50 per student. (A partner event would equal $100.) For each speech event a student enters, the fee is $45 per event. (e.g., If entered in four events, it would be $180 total for the student). World Schools teams will pay an entry fee of $75. NEW IN 2018: If your team stays within the National Tournament hotel block, you will receive a $25 discount off the current year’s main event entry fee per student. 

3. Uncovered Judges: Schools must pay a $160 fee for each uncovered judge as per requirements above.

4. Credit card fee: Paying by credit card will incur a 5% charge of the total owed.

5. Interp piece details: Schools will be assessed a $200 fee if they do not provide their title, author, and ISBN information for Interpretation events, as well as titles for Original Oratory and Declamation, by May 1. If the information is not posted by June 1, their entries risk being forfeited from the tournament.

6. Late fee: A late fee of $200 will be assessed for fees and forms received after May 12. A school/club risks forfeiting participation if fees and media release forms are not received by May 20.

7. All fees are non-refundable after registration closes on April 24.